Work/Life Balance: The Right Thing at the Right Time

Kevin Cradock Builders hosted a vibrant panel discussion on Work/Life Balance in the Boiler Room on Tuesday, October 25th. The panel was moderated by Allison Iantosca, President of F.H. Perry Builders, and featured Corinne Acampora, Founder & Principal Designer of Acampora Interiors; Kevin Cradock, Founder & President, Kevin Cradock Builders; Melanie Perillo, Owner & Publisher of Boston Design Guide; and Troy Sober, Principal, Gregory Lombardi Design.

Kevin refers to himself as a “recovering workaholic” and talked about the changes he has made that ensures he has quality time away from work. Troy also spoke about the importance of boundaries, while acknowledging that although he is often thinking about landscape design, he isn’t always “working” at it. Corinne thinks of harmony when she thinks about work/life balance, so that all of the parts of her life mesh. With young children and a growing business, she needs to be able to shift back and forth between home and work. Melanie spoke about meditation as her way of finding some balance and an antidote to the pressures of work. She talked about how early on she did it all and felt like she had to do it all - raising a family, teaching CCD, and running her company.

The panel also touched on how Covid affected their businesses and work life. Kevin decided working from home was not for him and came into the office alone early on during the pandemic. Melanie moved her office back to her house right before the Covid shut-downs, which presented pros and cons. While she had easy access to her office and work, it was also harder to step away. Troy spoke about the transition back to the office and how people need to collaborate in person, but Covid has also changed how people approach their work - from bringing pets to the office to flex time. Everyone on the panel expressed how Zoom fatigue set in after the first year plus.

Another big topic of discussion was around core values and habits. Troy said that being organized helps him to be more productive, and provides the time he needs to devote to family. Kevin uses time management strategies to handle the large amount of information and tasks he faces everyday.

Tips and Strategies Shared by the Panel

Kevin shared worksheets he uses to help him with time management and prioritization from Full Focus (formerly Michael Hyatt & Company) called Free to Focus ™. The Freedom Compass ™ worksheet helps one to figure out proficiencies and passions, and separates tasks into four zones: Desire Zone; Distraction Zone; Disinterest Zone; and Drudgery Zone. In the center is the Development Zone. Another worksheet focuses on Morning and Evening Rituals. The third worksheet helps one to create healthy and productive time management habits by creating My Ideal Week ™. Click here to download PDFs. Kevin also distributed notebooks to everyone who attended.

Moderator Allison Perry shared these books that she finds helpful for herself and her team at F.H. Perry Builder. A worksheet for the Wheel of Life and another about Finding Your Developmental Edge (from the Gestalt International Study Center) can be downloaded here.

Corinne offered suggestions for apps she uses such as growthday. “This is a tool that I use every single day for all sort of work and life coaching tools. It is packed with incredible resources, courses, lessons, worksheets, and journal prompts to help you get clear about almost anything. I highly recommend this,” Corrine said. Another app she recommends is InsightTimer. “This app is a wonderful tool and resource for free meditations, talks, music, etc. I use this daily.”

Among her favorite podcasts “that tend to take a well-rounded approach to work and life” include: The Affluent Entrepreneur Show with Mel Abraham; Goal Digger Podcast from Jenna Kutcher, and the Mel Robbins podcast. “This podcast is packed with authentic, real-life, relatable stories and will leave you with ‘tactical, research-backed advice to help you create a better life.’”

Melanie gave out several copies of a book she uses often “What Matters” along with a BDG gift bag. Troy Sober gave Moleskin notebooks out to everyone who attended.

Thank you to the panelists, Boston Design Guide and simpleHome. Watch for information about future KCB Boiler Room events in 2023.